Study
Behavioural reactions of elephants towards a dying and deceased matriarch
Douglas-Hamilton, Iain; Bhalla, Shivani; Wittemyer, George; Vollrath, Fritz
Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 2006
Detailed observation of the death of a known matriarch in Samburu, Kenya, recording which individuals approached the body, what they did, and their relatedness to her.
- Studied in
- Loxodonta africana
- Sample size
- 1 dying matriarch, observed by individuals from five families
Elephants from several families, including unrelated individuals, approached, touched and attempted to lift the dying female, with visits continuing after death.
What it means
The authors' reading, and ours. Where they differ, that difference is the point.
How the authors put it
Elephants show strong interest in dying and dead conspecifics that extends beyond close kin.
How NatureHQ reads it
Recorded here as what it is: a single, carefully documented event. It is the origin of much of what is written about elephant grief, and it cannot carry that weight on its own. The behaviour is real and repeatedly reported across sites; the interpretation — whether this involves anything like mourning — is not something field observation can settle, and NatureHQ does not pretend otherwise.
- A single observed death; no controls and no repetition.
- Interest in a dead conspecific has several possible explanations, from curiosity to social bond disruption.
- Human presence during observation may have influenced behaviour.
What this study is used for on NatureHQ
One study can inform several subjects. Here is everywhere this one is cited.
Published by: Elsevier journalsPublished in an Elsevier journal.
doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2006.04.014
This reference was resolved automatically against Crossref and OpenAlex on 2026-08-11.
NatureHQ summarises research in its own words and does not reproduce published text. Reviewed 2026-08-09.